The present disclosure relates a beverage dispenser and methods of use for combining at least one beverage ingredient with a diluting ingredient to form a beverage. In one embodiment, the beverage ingredient is coffee or tea and the diluting ingredient is water. The beverage ingredient is retained in a container which is positioned in the beverage dispenser. The ingredient is mixed with water at least in part in the container for dispensing into a receptacle positioned relative to the dispenser. In one embodiment, the beverage ingredient is a liquid form of beverage concentrate packaged in a disposable container. The beverage dispenser includes mechanisms and assemblies which form a single opening in the container to allow water to enter and exit the container through the single opening in the container to release and mix the beverage ingredient.
By way of background, a variety of dispensing apparatus have been developed which include brewers, and dispensers which use a variety of beverage ingredients including powder, soluable coffee material, fresh ground coffee material, and other forms of beverage material. These systems are designed to pass the dilution or brewing ingredient such as water through a predetermined volume of beverage ingredient to brew or mix and produce a resultant liquid beverage. If the beverage ingredient is retained in the container such as a pod, cartridge, or other container one end of the container is opened so is to allow the water to flow into the container and the second end of the container is opened to allow water and beverage or beverage to flow out of the container into the cup or other receiving receptacle. In this “pass through” type of system two openings may formed in the container, usually by puncturing, such as with generally impermeable cartridges; or the water flows through a permeable material, such as with pods.
If two openings are formed in the container removal of the container from the apparatus can result in dripping of residual fluid in the container. Such residual material might drip out of the container onto the user, the user's clothing or the surrounding surfaces. The use of a pass through or dual puncture system can result in such dripping.
It would be preferable to provide a system in which the user can remove the container from the beverage dispenser with the knowledge that the ingredient has been exhausted and/or rinsed from the container. Also, use of a single opening in the container will allow the user to orient the container after use with the opening in a direction to prevent dripping from the container.
It would be preferable to provide a single uniform system and container format that can be used with a wide variety of beverage ingredients. Prior art systems tend to be limited to one type of beverage ingredient for the format, primarily a brewable beverage contained in a permeable filter within a generally impermeable container.
This background information is provided to provide some information believed by the applicant to be of possible relevance to the present disclosure. This information is not intended to be an admission and no such admission should be inferred or construed. This information is not intended to limit the invention and/or the claims as disclosed herein and such limitation should not be inferred or construed. The preceding information shall not constitute prior art against the present invention. Other aims, objects, advantages and features of the invention will become more apparent upon reading of the following non-restrictive disclosure of specific and broadening embodiments thereof, given by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings.
The exemplification set out herein illustrates embodiments of the disclosure that are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the disclosure in any manner. Additional features of the present disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments exemplifying at least one best mode of carrying out the disclosure as presently perceived.